IT’S MIDDAY inside De La Salle University-Manila (DLSU) and students are busy everywhere. But amidst the strange and unfamiliar setting, a warm smile.
“Good afternoon, I’m Brother Ricky,” he says. He is Br. Ricardo “Ricky” Laguda, FSC, newly-appointed University Chancellor of DLSU. Unlike prior chancellors, Laguda’s resumé contains a very interesting detail that might leave many dumbfounded.
While he received basic education from the University of Saint La Salle in Bacolod, Laguda earned his Philosophy degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1992.
Lasallian, Atenean roots
There is no point in denying the irony: an Atenean is an administrator of DLSU- Manila.
He recounts an encounter with his former Theology professor, Fr. Adolfo Dacanay, SJ, during a basketball game. “He asked me what I was doing now,” he says, laughing.
He started college as an aspirant of the Lasallian Brothers, but stopped in sophomore year, only to return as a senior. “[Senior year] made me think about what I wanted to do with my life,” he says. Laguda had an array of post-college options—law school, the family business and even the Society of Jesus.
In the end, relationships and experiences with the Lasallian Brothers eventually made him decide to become one himself. It was education, after all, that inspired him to join in the first place.
Improving and cultivating
La Salle and Ateneo have influenced who he is, he says. “Fr. [Roque] Ferriols, SJ has influenced my way of thinking,” he says. He likewise counts professors Bobby Guevarra and Eduardo Calasanz as his favorite teachers.
“They’re the type of teacher who goes beyond the four walls of the classroom; they always make sure to develop relationships with their students,” he says.
He also fondly recalls being in the Ateneo Student Catholic Action. “Some weekends were spent in the communities; it was a very enriching experience.”
His desire to teach was what led him to be DLSU’s chancellor. Prior to that, Laguda was the chancellor of both the Araneta campus in Malabon and the Jaime Hilario campus in Bataan.
With DLSU’s impending centennial, improving and cultivating Lasallian education is one of his many goals.
“[Next year is] not just about celebrating but also [planning] ahead to update ourselves [on the] national, regional and international level,” he says.
Similar to Ateneo’s 500@150, De La Salle is also looking to increase scholars in all its universities. “The goal is for 20% of the population to be scholars,” he says.
And like Ateneo, DLSU’s Student Council recently launched a no-styro campaign. Laguda also mentions a campaign to plant over 100 trees, also as part of La Salle’s centennial.
Cooperate, collaborate
“[Ateneo and La Salle] have more in common than they’d like to admit,” he says. “There is a lot we can do in terms of partnerships.”
According to him, cooperation and collaboration is needed. “[The leading] universities in the country need to benchmark themselves as the best Asian schools,” he says.
As of the interview, no concrete plans have been made between the two schools; it’s a fresh start for Laguda and Vice President John Paul Vergara, also newly-appointed this year. La Salle President Br. Nacisco Erguiza’s appointment also comes only a year ahead of incoming University President Fr. Jett Villarin.
He adds that partnerships between the two schools are vital in terms of national and regional development.
A teacher at heart
The interview is over, and Laguda gives a quick tour of the campus. Decked in his order’s robes, not everyone recognizes him. But those that do know him greet with gentle smiles, almost as if he was a very good friend.
But maybe, those were his students. Laguda taught two classes in the first trimester, although he jokes that he might stop teaching in the next term, due mostly to his new workload.
But the look on his face suggests otherwise; the love of teaching is evident.
